Background Check Policy

Adelphi conducts background checks for all new employees.

To provide the most conducive educational environment for our students, the safest environment for our guests and employees and the most secure handling of University resources, Adelphi University constantly strives to improve the employment process by selecting the most qualified employees to fill our open positions. To this end, Adelphi conducts pre-employment background checks for all newly vacant full-time faculty, full- and part-time non-faculty positions, head coaching positions and some safety-sensitive hourly positions. In addition to confirmation of academic credentials for faculty, checks of employment history and employment references for all employees and checks of driving records for positions that require driving, Adelphi University’s Office of Human Resources also coordinates the verification of academics for non-faculty, the verification of licensing credentials for positions that required such and the comprehensive criminal background checks provided through a background investigation vendor.

Candidates will be informed during the pre-employment process that Adelphi conducts background checks. Adelphi University reserves the right to conduct such an investigation on any other employees who do not fall within the above categories, at our discretion.

Investigations which may be performed include, but are not limited to:

Social security trace: confirms identity of applicant and is crucial to gathering correct information in all aspects of the background investigation;

Previous address history: confirms the most recent 7 years of addresses and assists in conducting accurate background investigations;

Each report of a conviction or pending charge will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by both the Assistant Vice President for public safety and campus transportation and the director of employment, employee and labor relations, who both will then make a recommendation on employability to the associate vice president for human resources and labor relations who can affirm or overturn the recommendation in consultation with the applicable vice president.

Considered will be the applicability of the conviction to the position applied for, the maintenance of the safety and security of Adelphi’s students, employees, guests and resources and the protection of the conditions conducive to an effective learning environment, as well as the age of the applicant at the time the crime was committed, the applicant’s employment history since the conviction, evidence of the applicant’s rehabilitation and whether the applicant has been pardoned or had the sentence commuted or reversed.

Specific results from the criminal background investigation will not be shared with the employment position’s applicable supervisor and will be kept in the Office of Human Resources separate from the applicant’s personnel file, regardless of any conviction history. The employment position’s supervisor (if below the level of vice president) will only be informed that the applicant is not eligible for employment at Adelphi.

Background Check Process

Once a Hiring Manager has determined the applicant they would like to offer employment to, they must contact the Office of Human Resources with the name and contact information of the applicant (preferably email or home address). The Office of Human Resources will contact the applicant in order to procure the required authorization form(s) necessary to conduct a complete background check.

Once the required paperwork is completed and received by the Office of Human Resources, the employment screening process will begin. Some background checks may take up to one week to complete. If a background check takes longer than one week, the Hiring Manager can seek approval from the applicable Vice President or senior staff member to make a conditional offer of employment.